Someone Stole My Kite Bag!

I have been in Luanda, Angola for two weeks now and have prayed for wind ever since I got here. This is my sixth and final trip to Luanda for work and the first time I take my kitesurfing gear.

The forecast for this evening was favorable, so I decided to head out as soon as I got off of work. It was about 45 minutes before dark, but the beach has lots of lights on it to make packing up after dark easy. Once I launched my Peter Lynn Charger 19m, I brought my black bag with my flip flops, small bag for the Navigator bar, small bag for the kite sticks, a wind meter, and a few other small items in it closer down towards the water where I figured it would be safe.

After riding down the beach and walking back twice (the wind was not quite high enough to stay upwind), I noticed my bag was missing. I couldn't do anything about it, so I kitesurfed for a while longer. When I picked up my kite, I asked some locals if they had seen anyone walk away with a black bag, but they all said that they didn't. I even went back with a flashlight to make sure I didn't miss it, but it was nowhere to be found.

Bottom line is, my kite bag was stolen! Fortunately, I foresaw such a situation and did not bring the really nice bag that the Charger came in; however, it still stinks to have something stolen. It will cost about $100 to replace everything. In the meantime, I don't have a bag for my kite. I'll just tie it up with some cord and carry it down to the beach. The problem is that I sometimes have to walk over half a mile down the beach to find a spot that isn't crowded and is safe to launch.

It's not like this is a big deal compared to the problems that many people deal with every day, but it still stinks to have something stolen from me.

-Jason